Aslyn
Atlanta, Georgia, United States | SELF
Music
Press
The back of Aslyn's Lemon Love depicts her gazing at her own record on 12" vinyl, complete with Capitol's famous rainbow label. It's a fun little fantasy, fitting with the stars, cloud doodles, and vintage headphones that fill out Lemon Love's charming artwork, because the twentysomething singer/songwriter's debut floats somewhere in the blue sky between 1970s MOR pop and the slick adult alternative sounds of 2005. "Ain't No Love" crosses the harmonies of Queen's "Killer Queen" with a soulful Maroon 5 bounce and empowered lines like "I wanna know that I can't be traded...Know who I am is not about make-up." Lead single "Be the Girl" doesn't go for the immediate listener connection, like something from Ashlee might. Instead it grows on you, building to a driving chorus of brash guitars and Aslyn's own Rhodes keying. The production does get a little slick though, as it does throughout Lemon Love. And that's a bit disappointing, because there are moments when she strains on a high note or fits a bunch of quirky words into one lyric -- Waffle Houses, Mercury Sables, popcorn butter, and Avon cologne -- that you can see Aslyn singing her heart out in a club or coffeehouse somewhere, and it's an image closer to the classic pop songwriter of the album art's vinyl fantasy than the too-often marketed and packaged stuff of niche-market contemporary life. Coming back to earth, however, Lemon Love offers plenty of bright choruses and chances for Aslyn to use her friendly singing style to pull you in. She's like the friend of the lead in every romantic comedy, the girl with all the snappy answers who sings in the shower like the star she should be. The title track is a softer-side highlight, "Here's to Believe" finds R&B inside pop, and "Golden" again highlights Aslyn's impressive keyboard work. In short, she's made a debut that's easy to enjoy, and comfortable like the dog-eared edges of a trusty LP. - by Johnny Loftus
The spirit of the sixties is alive and well according to Aslyn and her debut album Lemon Love. Florida born Aslyn lays the hooks on thick and fast in this catchy 12 song collection, co-produced by Guy Chambers (he of Robbie Williams and World Party fame), melodies are strong and so are the lyrics and whilst they might sometimes dwell on the familiar love-angst theme they do draw you in
Opener Just Enough sets out the agenda of the album pretty well, electric guitar reasonably prominent and straight in with a catchy chorus, whilst single Be The Girl, about the superficiality of much modern day romance, has a more straightforward pop/r and b edge. Very singalongable Lemon Love makes you think of sunny days and driving to the beach, its that kind of album.
There are echoes of everyone here from The Beatles to girl singers such as Michelle Branch and Missy Higgins, but Aslyn carries the day on her own. This is quite a sparkling debut and easily marks Aslyn down as one to watch out for. - Memorable TV
Aslyn - Lemon Love
On March 29 Captiol Records released a new CD by a brand new artist named Aslyn, and the CD was called Lemon Love. Every week, hundreds, if not thousands, of CDs are released, both independently and on labels, to very little fanfare outside of the small fanbase which the artist or band has cultivated on their own. But Lemon Love was different. Why? Because of an incredibly catchy and radio friendly single called Be the Girl.
Thanks to Be the Girl, the world was introduced to Aslyn via video play on VH1 and MTV, as well as countless hours logged being spun on radio stations around the country.
So the question becomes, can the entire CD live up to the hype created by the infectious and popular first single, or is this a case of a one hit wonder?
Well, Lemon Love not only delivers on the promise of Be the Girl, it far surpasses it. In my opinion, there are even stronger tracks on Lemon Love which will stay in your heart and mind long after you’ve listened to the CD.
Lemon Love opens with the feel good revenge track Just Enough. The protagonist of the song is happy because her ex-lover, who treated her poorly during their breakup, is now begging for a second chance, and she’s enjoying the irony. Just Enough is followed up by the hot single Be the Girl and, one of my personal favorites, Gotta Get Over You. Most songs about missing a departed girlfriend or boyfriend focus on how much the singer misses that person directly, but very few address what I have personally always found to be the most heartrending part of ending a relationship, which is what Gotta Get Over You is about - the painful, piece by piece extrication from your life of all the tiny bits and pieces that you and that person had built into your daily routine.
Next up is 493-1023, Ain’t No Love, You Got Me, and then the title track, Lemon Love. After that comes Here’s to Believe, Rainbow, Golden, and the live fan favorite Wally.
Wally is a very personal song that Aslyn wrote after her Grandmother’s death as a tribute to the fifty year marriage shared by her grandmother, Fay, and her Grandfather, Wally. It’s written in missive form as a letter from her grandmother to her grandfather while they were courting during World War II, and it never fails to bring tears from the audience when she performs it live.
Ending the CD on a high note is the track Here.
Lemon Love marks a great start to what I’m sure will be a stellar career - More Music
Review I happened upon exhuberant singer-songwriter Aslyn by chance after her debut was recommended from my browsing history on this website. Her playfully vintage album cover art intrigued me so I streamed her lead single "Be the Girl" on iTunes and fell in love enough to purchase it. However, after extensive sample listens of her debut Lemon Love I fell in love. Not only is this CD consistent throughout, ranging from catchy Top 40-friendly hooks as heard in aforementioned "Be the Girl" to rock-infused soul a la tracks "Just Enough" and "Gotta Get Over You." Her poignant, introspective songwriter side is evident on one of the disc's most compelling and standout songs in "Wally," an ode to her grandfather's lasting love for her deceased grandmother (Lemon Love was interestingly called such due to past failed relationships). Overall, listen for yourself to this piece of pop-rock perfection and you'll realize for yourself Lemon Love is anything but sour. - Berm Music Review
Discography
Lemon Love, Capitol Records 2005
The Grand Garden EP Phases 1-4, EMI 2008
The Dandelion Sessions, Lemonade Records 2009
Photos
Bio
There's a shocking intimacy to singer-songwriter Aslyn's music. Listening to her music, you get the sense that you've stumbled across a trunk full of a stranger's letters and that at any moment you'll be discovered reading them. They reveal the stories behind breakups and betrayals, yet they are buoyant, intoxicated by life and love. They are pure Aslyn.
One might say that in the garden of Aslyn, tradition was the seed. With legs dangling from her piano bench, a musical prodigy at 7 years old, Aslyn mastered pieces from the likes of Chopin, Mendlessohn, Mozart and Beethoven. Aslyn’s singing experience too began at an early age, performing in churches with her 4 brothers- three are members of the Atlantic Records band, Georgia. The daughter of a preacher and teacher, raised outside Gainesville, Florida, Aslyn’s musical aspirations soon outgrew what her small hometown could offer, so she packed her bags and moved to Atlanta in pursuit of her dream.
Aslyn remained dedicated to her craft as a songwriter and performer, writing every day, playing in every club that would have her. She was drinking in all kinds of music - from Queen to The Beatles, Carol King and Stevie Wonder - while simultaneously discovering and developing her own artistic voice. Her approach to songwriting crystallized and out poured many of the songs that would form the foundation for her first album. Her infectious hooks and passionate vocals stirred up music industry interest and Aslyn was eventually signed to Capitol Records and toured the country several times. Her first Album, Lemon Love, charted on Billboards top 40 chart and produced a top 20 radio single also making appearances and performing on VH1, MTV, Fuse, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The CBS Early Show.
This summer Aslyn will be releasing her highly anticipated independent second album entitled “The Dandelion Session”. Aslyn explains, “The making of this album has been a magical experience in so many ways. I've always wanted to record a live studio album, and we did just that. We brought an amazing group of musicians to the studio, set up around the piano, and recorded the songs. There is a raw simplicity captured when recording live that cultivates honest art. Many of the classic records that I obsess about were recorded this way. I named the album "The Dandelion Sessions" because "Wherever the Dandelion Falls" is the song that encompasses the whole experience for me. The vision for this record began as only a wish upon a dandelion, literally. A beautiful moment where I allowed myself to dream while standing beside a street in Atlanta, blowing seeds into the wind, realizing that I was ready to record again. I wasn't born yesterday. I know that not all dreams come true. But this one did for me.”
Every storyteller craves an audience, so naturally Aslyn's excited about taking her songs on the road. "That was what kept me going.. the feeling that I had connected with someone through the offering of song," Aslyn remembers. "That was my fuel. And it still is."
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